Floating soccer ball

ABSTRACT

For an aerodynamic soccer ball, a shell with a hollow interior is provided. A plurality of orifices are disposed and uniformly spaced on the shell.

FIELD

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/052,193 entitled “FLOATING SOCCER BALL” and filed on Sep. 18, 2014 for Stewart Higa, which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to balls and more particularly relates to floating balls.

BACKGROUND Description of the Related Art

Balls are often more enjoyable to play with when highly responsive. For example, a soccer ball may be more enjoyable to play with if the ball floats when kicked.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more particular description of the embodiments briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments that are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only some embodiments and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of scope, the embodiments will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1A-C are drawings of one embodiment of a ball; and

FIG. 2 is a side view drawing of a shell.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment,” “in an embodiment,” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment, but mean “one or more but not all embodiments” unless expressly specified otherwise. The terms “including,” “comprising,” “having,” and variations thereof mean “including but not limited to,” unless expressly specified otherwise. An enumerated listing of items does not imply that any or all of the items are mutually exclusive, unless expressly specified otherwise. The terms “a,” “an,” and “the” also refer to “one or more” unless expressly specified otherwise.

Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics of the embodiments may be combined in any suitable manner. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that embodiments may be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, and so forth. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of an embodiment.

The description of elements in each figure may refer to elements of proceeding figures. Like numbers refer to like elements in all figures, including alternate embodiments of like elements.

FIG. 1 is a drawing of a ball 100. The ball 100 may be a soccer ball. The ball 100 includes a shell 105 and a plurality of orifices 110. In the past, balls for sports like soccer had an unbroken surface. In addition, the rigidity and resilience of the ball was maintained by internal air pressure of air contained within the ball and/or within a bladder. As a result, the mass of the ball was often also high because of the materials required to maintain the internal air pressure of the ball. The mass of such balls reduce their float when traveling through the air when kicked or hit.

The embodiments described herein include the shell 105 with a hollow interior and the plurality of orifices 110 disposed on the shell 105. The orifices 110 increase the air resistance of the ball 100 in-flight. In addition, the reduction of material for the shell 105 reduces the mass of the ball 100, enabling higher accelerations, more rapid deceleration due to air resistance, and longer float when the ball 100 is struck, higher velocities of the ball 10.

The shell 105 may be fabricated of a semi-rigid, resilient flexible material. The material may be selected from the group consisting of styrene, polystyrene, and polyester, in one embodiment, the stiffness of the shell 105 is within 20 percent of the stiffness of a traditional soccer ball. In addition, the elasticity of the shell 105 may be within 20 percent of the elasticity of a traditional soccer ball.

In one embodiment, the resilience of the shell 105 is within 50 percent of the resilience of a traditional soccer ball. The shell 105 may include dimples, grooves, or combinations thereof.

The orifices 110 may be disposed on the shell 105. Each orifice 110 may have an orifice area in the range of 10 to 60 centimeters squared (cm²). In one embodiment, each orifice 110 has an orifice area in the range of 40 to 50 cm². Air may pass through an orifice 110 to the interior of the shell 105.

The plurality of orifices 110 may have a total orifice area in the range of 25 to 55 percent of an available shell area. The available shell area may be an area of the shell 105 without the orifices 110. In a certain embodiment, the total orifice area is in the range of 38 to 49 percent of the available shell area. The total orifice area may be 43 percent of the available shell area.

In one embodiment, the orifices 110 are uniformly spaced on the shell 105. For example, a center of each orifice 110 may be equidistant from all other orifices 110. Alternatively, an area of orifices 110 in a specified hemisphere of the shell 105 may be equal to an area of orifices 110 in other hemispheres of the shell 105. In one embodiment, the orifices 110 form a tessellation pattern on the shell 105.

Each orifice 110 may be circular. Alternatively, each orifice 110 may be multi-sided. For example, orifices 110 may be triangular, square, pentagonal, hexagonal, heptagonal, octagonal, and the like. The orifices 110 may be regular geometric shapes. Alternatively, the orifices 110 may be irregular geometric shapes. In one embodiment, two or more geometries of orifices 110 are employed.

In one embodiment, each orifice 110 has beveled edges. In one embodiment, outer edges of the orifice 110 are beveled. Alternatively, inner edges of the orifice 110 may be beveled. In a certain embodiment, the outer and inner edges of the orifice 110 are beveled.

In one embodiment, the edges of each orifice 110 are rounded. In addition, the edges of each orifice 110 may be reinforced with a filament, a fiber, or combinations thereof.

FIG. 2 is a side view drawing of the shell 105. In the depicted embodiment, the shell 105 comprises an inner shell 120 and an outer shell 115. The shell 105 may have a shell thickness 125 in the range of 2.8 to 3.2 millimeters (mm). Alternatively, the shell 105 may have a shell thickness 125 in the range of 2.1 to 2.6 millimeters (mm). In a certain embodiment, the shell thickness may be in the range of 1.5 to 4.5 mm. In a one embodiment, the shell thickness is 3 mm.

The outer shell 115 may have an outer shell thickness 130 in the range of 1.2 to 1.8 mm. In a certain embodiment, the outer shell thickness 130 is in the range of 1.45 to 1.55 mm. The outer shell 115 may be formed of thermoplastic rubber or the like.

The inner shell 120 may have an inner shell thickness 135 in the range of 1.2 to 1.8 mm. In a certain embodiment, the inner shell thickness 135 is in the range of 1.45 to 1.55 mm. The inner shell 120 may be formed of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polypropelene, or the like.

The inner shell 115 and outer shell 120 may be formed with a double injection molding process.

The shell 105 may be reinforced. For example, a filament, fiber, wire, or the like may be embedded in the shell 105. In one embodiment, the reinforcing may increase the resilience of the shell 105.

The ball 100 may be a soccer ball with a mass in the range of 50 to 150 grams (g) for a size 3 ball. Alternatively, the ball 100 may be a size for soccer ball with the mass in the range of 66 to 200 g for size for ball. In a certain embodiment, the ball 100 is a soccer ball with a mass in the range of 75 to 250 g for a size 5 ball.

When the ball 100 is struck, such as when kicked or hit, the ball 100 rapidly accelerates because of its stiffness and/or resilience and low mass. In addition, the higher air resistance and lower mass of the ball 100 allows the ball 100 to float longer while decelerating more quickly. As a result, the user's enjoyment from the ball 100 is increased.

Embodiments may be practiced in other specific forms. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A ball comprising: a shell comprising a hollow interior; and a plurality of orifices disposed and uniformly spaced on the shell.
 2. The ball of claim 1, wherein the shell is fabricated of a semi-rigid, resilient, flexible material.
 3. The ball of claim 1, wherein the shell is fabricated of a material selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic rubber acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, styrene, polystyrene, and polyester.
 4. The ball of claim 1, wherein each orifice has an orifice area in the range of 10 to 60 centimeters squared (cm²).
 5. The ball of claim 1, wherein the plurality of orifices have a total orifice area in the range of 25 to 55 percent of an available shell area.
 6. The ball of claim 1, wherein each orifice is one of a circle and multi-sided.
 7. The ball of claim 1, wherein the ball is a soccer ball with a mass in the range of 50 to 150 grams (g) for a size 3 soccer ball.
 8. The ball of claim 1, wherein the ball is a soccer ball with a mass in the range of 75 to 250 g for a size 5 soccer ball.
 9. The ball of claim 1, wherein the shell has a shell thickness in the range of 2.9 to 3.1 millimeters (mm).
 10. The ball of claim 1, wherein the shell comprises an outer shell and an inner shell.
 11. The ball of claim 10, wherein outer shell is fabricated from thermoplastic rubber and has an outer shell thickness in the range of 1.45 to 1.55 mm and the inner shell is fabricated from one of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polypropelene and has an inner shell thickness in the range of 1.45 to 1.55 mm. 